ENCOURAGEMENT

My goal in this article is to encourage everyone in the existence of YHVH and the truth of His Word, to show that He is real and cares about us individually. I want to help strengthen our faith in these things so that we can stand fast when trials and tribulation comes.

Encouragement verses...

1 Thessalonians 3:2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and YHVHís fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Messiah, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sinís deceitfulness.

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotheró and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

ENCOURAGEMENT IN YHVH (God)

I have no doubt YHVH is real, as I will testify in a moment. Do you have any doubts, or can you be persuaded by the enemy? What about the youths among us? Ask Him to make Himself real to you. I want to encourage everyone to look for the hand of YHVH in your life. When we see His hand, give Him praise and encourage one another with it. There should be no doubt in our minds that YHVH exists.

Psalm 105:4-5 Seek YHVH and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,

There are many good examples in scripture of YHVHís wonders, which we should all be familiar with. I want to instead talk about some personal examples that make Him real to me. I donít think that I am special and His word says that He is not a respecter of people. As I share these, be thinking of times in your life where you have witnessed personal intervention by the hand of the Almighty.

Some of my best testimonies:

Umbilical chord. I was born with an extra long umbilical chord, it was wrapped 3 times around my neck and tied into a knot. My mother could feel a strange pulse. The doctor said that if the knot was any tighter I would have died.

Stomach pain. (Around 1990) I woke up in the middle of the night with my stomach hurting. The pain kept increasing rapidly and became very severe within a few seconds. It became unbearable and I couldn't even talk, I just thought "God help me!" and instantly the pain went away as fast as it had come. I said "thank you" and quickly fell back to sleep.

Lost Dogs. (Fall 2001) We (my wife and I) keep our dogs in the yard by an underground electric fence. We came home one evening to find that the dogs were gone. It appeared that some kid road his bike through our yard, based on the tracks in the grass, and our dogs went chasing after. We searched the area for a long time and talked to our neighbors to no avail. I was walking down the road and praying to God about the dogs. I finally said something like "God, you care about the sparrow, show me where the dogs are." I looked up and saw two streaks in the sky from where I was heading off across peopleís yards and into the woods. I thought "Ok God, I am going." And headed off in the direction of the trails. I crossed some fences and the woods got thicker yet I kept going in the direction shown. Soon I heard some barking off in the distance. I went a little farther and called for the dogs. They came running, very muddy and full of burrs but glad to see me.

"Study My Word" (In 2001) I was praying and sincerely seeking God's will for my life. While I was still kneeling He spoke to me. It was like a still small voice inside my head, yet separate from my thoughts. He said: "Study My Word". He also gave me the hunger for this at the same time. In obedience to this I created and recently completed a "Bible Study Forum." [Click here for a link to my article.]

We do not have to look very far to find testimonies of YHVH all over the world.

ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

I want to next talk about the authority of the Bible. Do we believe it is from YHVH? Satan has tried in the past to destroy all the Bibles, and is trying today to discredit the authority of the Scriptures. I feel YHVH has preserved and is revealing, to those He chooses and who are seeking, a mountain of evidence to show that we can trust the Bible. Accuracy of the different translations is a concern and we need to have wisdom. I believe one can get at the truth with enough study and research. (See the book: "The Hebrew Yeshua vs the Greek Jesus" for example. http://www.hebrewyeshua.com/)

Thanks to the work of others, the following are some of the amazing evidences available today that support the great events in scripture:

I have seen convincing video footage of the ashen remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, I personally held phosphor balls found there in my hands during Michaelís seminars.

We can see under water video footage of coral encrusted chariot wheels strewn across Red Sea.

You can see footage of the blackened top of Mt Sinai where YHVH met Moses and the altar stones from the golden calf. I have also held ancient Israelite arrowheads and grinding stones found in this area.

One can see an impressive, large rock (60í tall) still standing, that is split in 2 with water erosion evidence. Moses struck this for the grumbling Israelites. (I highly recommend watching "The Exodus Revealed" for those interested.)

As evidence of the age of the earth and the Biblical account of the flood - see Kent Hovindís web site. You can get free videos where he shows pictures of human prints inside of Dinosaur prints, a brass bell encrusted in coal. A fossilized dog and a fossilized human foot still in a boot among other things.

I also read the book: "The Signature of God" by Grant R. Jeffrey, in preparation for this article.
Here are some of the highlights: (http://www.grantjeffrey.com)

The book mentions other historical writings that speak of events in the Bible from both testaments including some about Yeshua and the supernatural darkness when He was crucified.

Some of the archaeological discoveries mentioned:

King Nebuchadnezzarís inscription found on the tower of Babelís foundation describing it.

Sinai inscriptions about the Israeliteís exodus from Egypt.

Walls of Jericho laying flat and outward discovered.

House of David inscription.

Seals of different Bible characters found.

Archaeology is still finding things that back up the Bible.

The book talks about the extreme proliferation and multiple languages of the books of the New Testament as making it humanly impossibility to change all the text to insert corruption. Although I think we still need to be cautious of new "translations" that come out.

The Qumran scrolls, having much older copies of OT books than previously known, also help show the accuracy of our scriptures maintained over time. Some fragments of NT scriptures were also found at Qumran.

There is also scientific proof of the Bibles authority showing advanced knowledge before science has caught up. The cycle of water among other things. Also advanced medical knowledge and instruction.

Here is an interesting point the book makes. Why does YHVH require circumcision on the 8th day? Science has discovered that on the 8th day we are at the maximum blood clotting ability of our life. 120% of normal.

Prophetic fulfillment mentioned in the book:
Many predictions of Messiah in the OT were fulfilled.
What about some more recent fulfillment?

(P198) Turkey recently constructed the huge Ataturk Dam and can now dam up the waters of the Euphrates for the first time in history. (P199) The Chinese government has spent enormous sums and expended the lives of hundreds of thousands of construction workers building a military super-highway across Asia heading directly toward Israel. This highway has no economic purpose and no foreigners are allowed anywhere near this road. The highway has been completed through the south of China, Tibet, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This curios prophecy about "the way of the kings of the east" is being fulfilled in the 1990s setting the stage for the final battle of this age.
Rev 16:12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

Mysterious Hebrew Codes: (Chp 10) (Equal distance spaced letters to form words. Words clustered together. Also hidden words in relevant passages.) This phenomenon is not found in other writings and has not been duplicated. Caution: this is for seeing things after the fact to show divine inspiration, not for accurate fortune telling. (Study how the method works to understand this.)

Some of the things found:

Hitler, Natzis, and names of Death Camps.

French Revolution, French kings name, The name of his dynasty.

Jewish sages picked at random, with their date of birth or death.

Details about the Gulf war and September 11.

Encoded in different OT prophecies of Yeshua we find his name. (See Chp 11)

Mathematical Signature. (Chp 12) Ivan Panin spent 50 years of his life studying this phenomenon. The gist of his study is that by doing different calculations with the numerical values of the letters or number of letters in different places, a pattern emerges. It may not seem like much on the surface but this is not found with other text.

Un-designed coincidences (Chp 13) (Portions of scripture explained by passages in other areas.)
Example: Why did David take five stones for Goliath, the answer can be found elsewhere in scripture, Goliath has 4 brothers so David wanted to be prepared.

The testimony of NT menís life and death, shows they believe what they preached, why die for a lie?

The transformed lives through out history also help show the power of the scriptures.

The Bible is YHVHís primary means of communicating with us. We need to all be reading it and I hope that I have given some encouragement to make it an integral part of your life.

LOOK AROUND

There are many little and some tremendous things YHVH shows us from day to day if we just look for them. If we add these all together, we should have no excuse for doubting His existence. It is easy to forget these things over time. The busyness and trials of today can cause us to easily forget His deliverance in the past. If we stop from our busy life and look around us, we can see the Almightyís hand at work.

Job 38:22 Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail,
See His wonderful handiwork of snow: www.snowcrystals.com

EFFECTS OF TRIALS

In Matt 13 we find the parable of the sower. We need to establish deep roots so we can survive tribulation when it comes. Matt 13:20-21 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

YHVH is real and the Bible is His Word. We need to have that established deep down in our hearts so that no matter what happens, nothing can shake it.

We may think we are strong now, but how will we fare under stress and tribulation?
Our mind can be fragile under stress. We need to look to YHVH for strength at all times.

Trials affect people differently. I have had a relatively easy life and I can only guess how I would respond under severe trial. I do believe that by strengthening our minds now, by remembering and thinking upon the things YHVH has done, we will improve our chances of enduring to the end.

CONCLUSION

Ask for and start looking for YHVHís intervention in your life.

Read His Word and learn about and be encouraged by the accounts given in the Bible.

Encourage one another with the wonders the Almighty has done in our lives.

This world is full of wonders and evidences of YHVH if we just take the time to look around us. Remember and be looking for YHVHís hand in our lives and the lives of those around us. Be encouraged by scientific discoveries and other amazing evidences that show the divine inspiration of the scriptures. When we are faced with trials, letís not forget what YHVH has already done for us. Let's put our faith in Him and give Him thanks and praise for what He yet will do. Meditate daily on these things so that no matter what happens, we will not loose faith, but endure to the end. My hope is that this article has been of some encouragement to you.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.